The common post-match consensus was that it’s a just as well Villa didn’t need anything from that game to stay up because, despite the pressure being off, the shackles remained well and truly in place.

Norwich, player by player, are surely no better than Villa, even injury-hit Villa. But they played with a vibrancy, a boldness, a willingness to try things, even if they didn’t always come off.

By stark contrast, Villa are inhibited, to the extent that at 2-0 down in a last day dead rubber they still had all 11 players defending a second half corner.

Paul Lambert’s chirpy Canaries wanted it more, and what’s more they had the wherewithal to get it.

It was no surprise when Grant Holt, possibly with the use of his arm, barged between Emile Heskey and Chris Herd in the six-yard box to bundle in Simon Lappin’s left-wing free-kick in the eighth minute.

Moments earlier an incident summed up the attitudes of the respective dressing rooms.

Holt had tried to make life difficult for Villa by standing over the ball as James Collins went to take a free-kick and when the defender booted the ball against the striker out of sheer petulance, Simeon Jackson reacted sharply to latch on to the rebound and slot the ball into the net.

The Norwich No.9 was booked for failing to retreat, and the goal was disallowed.

But when Collins chopped down Jackson in a similar area of the pitch from the next attack, Holt had the last laugh by putting the hosts in front.

Bizarrely, a scoreboard advertisement declared that Holt’s goal was sponsored by Kettle Chips.

Perhaps Villa’s campaign should have been sponsored by Rivita and Sarsons – dull with a bitter after taste.

With the visitors competing more on the terraces than on the field, Norwich doubled their lead on 21 minutes when Carlos Cuellar’s head inadvertently diverted a long Kyle Naughton ball into the path of Jackson, who beat Given from close range at the second attempt.

But for Villa’s goalkeeper, the claret and blues might have been a bit more worried about the 17-goal swing which could have dragged them down.

Given saved brilliantly from Jonny Howson, Lappin, Elliott Bennett and Wes Hoolahan before the break and denied Naughton and Jackson after it. There’s not enough space to mention the chances Norwich missed, while Cuellar got away with two strong penalty claims.

Villa very occasionally ventured forwards as an occasional radical broke free from a repressive formation which started as a 4-4-2 but eventually morphed into 4-5-1.

Eric Lichaj stormed through and forced a save from John Ruddy on the only notable occasion Villa emerged from their own half before the break, while, midway through the second period, the Norwich keeper palmed a low shot against the post when Gabby Agbonlahor finally turned up.

Aside from a quickfire flurry of stops from Ruddy just after the interval – once to deny Heskey and twice to thwart Stephen Ireland – that was the sum of Villa’s attacking impetus in a meaningless match where preserving pride should have been more important than protecting their goal.

It was a snapshot of the season. A truly excruciating snapshot of a truly excruciating season.

Villa’s away day supporters contributed to a carnival atmosphere by joining in, not only with the terrace banter, but also with Norwich’s chants on ‘One Paul Lambert’, adding their own twist with a rendition of ‘Paul Lambert’s claret and blue army’.

‘He wants to stay at a big club’ was the Canaries’ response – the songs showing the feelings of each fanbase. While Norwich have over-achieved and are fearful of losing their manager, Villa have underachieved and are fearful of keeping theirs.

Villa have ended their season at Carrow Road before, of course, with a sense of relief that they are still safe. Back in 1995, however, one of their own was in charge and, despite the scare, Brian Little still walked on water.

Alex McLeish meanwhile, is set to fall through the thinnest of ice as he is set to be sacked today.